Chris Cairns diagnosed with bowel cancer

Chris Cairns has played 62 Tests and 215 ODIs for New Zealand © Getty
Former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns has revealed that he has been diagnosed with bowel cancer. The 51-year-old, who only recently was discharged after being hospitalised with heart attack and paraplegia, revealed the latest diagnosis on Instagram.

"As far as weeks go, I thought that Tom Brady retiring was going to be the low point this week... but as it turned out, TB12's retirement comes a distant second," Cairns wrote in his post.

"I was told yesterday I have bowel cancer... big shock and not what I was expecting after what was supposed to be a routine checkup.

"So, as I prepare for another round of conversations with surgeons and specialists, I keep remembering how lucky I am to be here in the first place... and how blessed I am to have all that I do in my life.

"Another fight ahead but here's hoping this one is a swift upper cut and over in the first round."

Cairns, who played 62 Tests and 215 ODIs for New Zealand between 1989 and 2006, suffered a heart attack and subsequently an aortic dissection, which left him on life support in a Sydney hospital last year. Further complications resulted in a stroke in his spine that left him paralysed from the waist down.

Cairns, did, however, make good progress in his rehab and even chronicled his recovery on social media. On January 28, Cairns announced that after 141 days as an inpatient at University of Canberra Hospital, he was heading home for good.